Municipalities around Japan are rushing to secure "cooling shelters" that people can use when there is high risk of heatstroke.
Operators of designated facilities, such as community centers and supermarkets, will be asked to open them for use by people to escape the heat when a special alert for heatstroke is issued under a new warning system introduced recently.
The city of Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, which recorded a temperature of 41.1 degrees Celsius in August 2018, the highest in the country since records began, sets up temporary rest areas in the summer called "machinaka oasis" at facilities such as the city offices and community centers.